Shadow Warriors I: The SuperMech
by clan ice cobra
Summary: The Shadow Warriors are an elite Mercenary group that has stumbled upon a Mech base that could change the balance of power in the Inner Sphere...
1. Landing on Aries' Reach

**_Aries' Reach_**

**_Periphery_**

**_August 24, 3064_**

****

            It was very windy and cold on Aries' Reach, at least according to the sensors onboard the _Lexington_, the main DropShip for the Shadow Warriors. The Shadow Warriors were one of the smallest, but greatest, mercenary groups in the Inner Sphere. The Shadow Warriors had only Heavy Mechs, and not many at that. The prize of their collection was a _Mad Cat_ that had been captured during the Clan Wars. Why they were at Aries' Reach only their commander, Colonel James Shaston, knew and he wasn't talking. All that they knew was that the planet had been a hotbed for Clan Mech and weapons research.

            They all figured that was why House Davion had signed them on to come here, that they were to recover some research and then return to New Avalon with it. The must have been why Victor Steiner-Davion had signed them on. It was rumored that he had spoken with the Colonel in person so as to totally sign the contract.

            Colonel James Shaston walked across the Dropship bridge and then turned to his four lance leaders. Lance Commander Tanya, Black Lead. Lance Commander Alex, Skeleton Lead. Lance Commander Lucy, Vampire Lead. Lance Commander Luke, Dragon Lead. All four of them lead heavy lances and all four were needed to find what they had been tasked to find.

            The Colonel turned to LC Tanya and started speaking to her.

"Tanya, I want Black Lance covering the Isilis Valley. I want every square kilometer of that area mapped down to every nook and cranny!" He turned to LC Alex.

"I want Skeleton Lance on the Plains of Battle. I don't think that you'll face any there but I want you there all the same!" He then turned towards LC Lucy and LC Luke, the only twin Lance Commanders.

"I want the Vampires and the Dragons here, creating a perimeter to protect us." He then addressed them all.

"Need I remind you ladies and gentlemen that we are in the Periphery here! Out here live the bandits, ruffians and everyone else civilization has rejected! Some may be armed with BattleMechs and, as of such, I want you all on your guard! We can't afford to lose any of you!"

            With that the four Lance Commanders ran off to their perspective lances and Mechs. Alex ran to Drop Bay One and Skeleton Lance, consisting of a _Mad Cat_, a _Loki_, a _Black Hawk_ and a _Thor_. Tanya went to Drop Bay Two and Black Lance, consisting of a _Nova Cat_ and three _Vultures_. Lucy went to Drop Bay Three and Vampire Lance, consisting of four _Catapult_ Mechs. Luke went to Drop Bay Four and Dragon Lance, consisting of an _Argus_, a _Thanatos_, and two _Bushwackers_.

            As the separate Drop Bay doors opened, and their perspective lances lumbered out into the cold air, a machine on a nearby hillside regesitered the launching of multiple Mechs, some of which were heading out towards the Clan research station. It sent a quick encoded transmission to the research base and weapons that had been cold for a long time started to power up.

            The research base was preparing to recieve them. With open PPC's.

[Author's Notes: This is the first chapter in the series and so it is probably won't be too good. Please review and send your reviews to me. I hope to have the second chapter finished sometime next week. Thanks everyone!]**__**


	2. An assault of Clan Proportions

**_Aries' Reach_**

**_Periphery_**

**_August 24, 3064_****__**

            "Skeleton Lead this is Skeleton Two, I may have just found something sir."

Alex turned his comm. system on and began to speak.

            "What do you mean Skeleton Two?"

            "Well sir, my _Black Hawk_'s sensors detected weapons powering up within my search cordon. I thought that we should check it out. It might be bandits or it might be that research base."

            "Copy that Skeleton Two. We'll head towards that area. Which heading?"

            "Three two seven."

            With that all of Skeleton lance took off in that direction, towards what seemed to be a portion of a nearby canyon wall. As they closed up on the wall parts of it started to shift and move to the side or retract and then a large hidden door opened up and five _Uller_ light Mechs burst out into the sunlight. Following that were two _Osiris_ light Mechs as well as several Bulldog tanks.

            Alex immediately ordered Skeleton Lance to split up and he took his _Mad Cat _around to the back of the formation and took up a support fire position, utilizing his multiple LRM racks and ER Lasers. Skeleton Two, in her _Black Hawk_, held the rear as well, utilizing her twelve ER Large Lasers. Skeleton Three's _Loki_ took up a vanguard position to the left of the group whilst Skeleton Four's _Thor_ took the right side. They then proceeded to assault the incoming Clan Mech Lance.

            Alex heard a loud roar and saw Skeleton Four's _Thor_ belch fire and flame, a sure sign of autocannon fire if he had ever seen one. One of the _Ullers_ took a direct hit to the center torso and toppled over, but didn't explode. It got back up and started firing its machine guns at Alex. His armor shrugged off the rounds and proceeded to dismantle the _Uller_with its Small and Medium Lasers. After a few minutes of sustained fire the side of the _Uller_ blew out in a spectacular explosion as machine gun and missile ammo cooked off inside of it. Soon all that was left of the Mech was a smoking ruin lying on the cold ground.

            The _Black Hawk_ was doing quite well, Skeleton Two racking up kill after kill. All she did was lock her ER Lasers into a single firing group and then aim at the torso of an _Uller_. That much beam firepower would melt the armor off the Mech and then penetrate the central torso like a hot knife through soft butter. First one and then two _Ullers_ fell to the _Black Hawk_.

            Suddenly one of the _Osirises_ fired its weapons and Skeleton Four's arm was blasted away by what had looked like a Particle Projection Cannon blast.

            "Sir this is Skeleton Four! Alex! What the hell was that?! An _Osiris_ can't carry that kind of weaponry! It's impossible!"

            "I don't know. All I know is that the Colonel will probably want that Mech intact. Skeleton Two, hit the cockpit."

            With that the ends of the arms of the _Black Hawk_ brightened and shot out bright red beams of light that all hit the cockpit of that _Osiris_. Needless to say that the _Osiris_didn't have a chance. The cockpit, and the Mechwarrior inside it, both cooked and melted down. As the _Osiris_slumped to the ground Alex made a note of its position, for salvage, and turned his attention towards the other _Osiris_ that was left on the battlefield.

            He got a lock on the Light Mech and let loose three salvos of LRM's and yelled in triumph as they hit. He had gambled everything on that because he had figured, by the way the Mech was moving, that is had been outfitted with a lot of weaponry but little armor. The way his LRM's pounded into the _Osiris_ proved that he had been correct. As the _Osiris_ went down he heard an open broadcast come from one of the remaining _Ullers_.

            "We surrender we surrender! This is Star Corporal Matheson, in charge of the Alpha Research Base and we surrender! Please do not kill us!"

            Alex smiled a smile of triumph over his foes. He had won! He was victorious! He had attacked a group of Clan warriors and won. He immediately radioed Colonel Shaston with what he had found.

            "Stay there. I'm bringing the other lances and the _Lexington_ there immediately! What have you found Alex?"

            "Sir I found a hidden research base that seems to have been built into the rock walls of the canyon."

            "Interesting. The _Lexington_ is two hours away. Hold your position and we will be there soon!"

[Author's Notes: This is my first real try with combat so give me your input on it. Also, I realize that an _Osiris_ cannot carry a PPC but you will see why it did in the next chapter. I also realize that a Star Corporal would not be in charge of a base but then again he wouldn't be in an _Uller_ if he had an _Osiris_ would he? That's right. I hope to have the next chapter up soon. I hope this was better than the last.]


	3. X1

**_Aries' Reach_**

**_Periphery_**

**_August 25, 3064_****__**

            Colonel Shaston walked through the corridors of Alpha Research Base, apparently named that by Clan Smoke Jaguar, and thought of what his mercenary company had just discovered. The Clan base was a hotbed for weapons research and experimentation. The _Osirises_that Skeleton Lance had fought had been outfitted with new prototypes for miniature Particle Projection Cannons and Gauss Rifles. The list of new technology was along one because, apparently, this base was created by ALL the Clans but utilized by none. They all sent technology here to be experimented with but none used it because they didn't trust each other enough to do so.

            James looked at the list in his hand and glanced at the new tech. Ultra Lasers, Small, Medium and Heavy. Gauss Cannons, a Gauss Rifle version of a machine gun. Pulse Particle Projection Cannons, a smaller, more compact version of the PPC that also recharged faster and gave off less heat at a cost of less damage. He also found the one thing that his mercenaries had yet to decipher, the X-1. According to the summary it was a weapon that was so powerful that it could destroy whole Heavy and Assault lances in one go. James wanted that weapon but they had been unable to crack the encryption surrounding it. All of the other weapons were being replicated in the meantime, and all the research and design schematics were being archived onboard the _Lexington_.

            James looked around him and smiled. Why they were still using the _Lexington_was a mystery because here they had a fully operational, if grounded, WarShip with attached DropShips. The Light lance that had attacked Skeleton Lance had been deployed from one of the three attached DropShips. The Shadow Warriors were still working out a way to lift the ships off the ground and back into space, perhaps to meet up with their JumpShip, _Pride of Avalon_, a vessel on loan from House Davion following the destruction of their former JumpShip in a misjump in-system. They had lost nearly everything in that misjump, orchestrated by House Kurita as they had later learned. They had lost their other two DropShips, all their Light and Medium Mechs and all of their Aerospace assets.

            House Davion had come to their rescue at about the same time that Aries' Reach was discovered by the Explorer Corps. Comstar had notified the Great Houses of the planet and what it may contain and House Davion had gotten there the fastest. The Shadow Warriors had been stationed on a planet near the Draconis Combine border when House Davion had called upon their services and expertise.

            Now the Shadow Warriors were in control of a research base that contained a large amount of information and new weapons systems. The fortunes of his mercenary company were improving.

            He soon reached the bridge of the WarShip, which they had now taken to calling the _Dark Warrior_, and went straight to the holo-tank. The tank was displaying a hologram of the system and contained many small symbols that were rapidly accelerating towards Aries' Reach. James turned to his second-in-command, Lieutenant Commander Christopher Prent. James turned to Chris and spoke.

            "Are they still incoming?"

Chris nodded his head sadly, "Yes they are sir. As near as we can tell we have Kuritan units on high burn on their way here. Following them are Lyrans, with a small smattering of Clan Wolf-in-Exile if I am correct, the forces of House Marik, the forces of House Liao, Clan Ghost Bear and House Davion."

            "House Davion?"

            "Yes sir. House Davion sent in a communication while you were occupied. They are sending the Wolf's Dragoons, Eridani Light Horses and the Tenth Davion Heavy Guards here. Unfortunately they will reach us after everyone else does."

            "So we have a slug match coming up do we?"

            "Yes sir we do-"

Suddenly one of the techs ran up to James.

"Sir! We cracked the encryption! We know what the X-1 is!"

"Well, spit it out son."

"Yes sir! After the Clan Invasion of 3050  and the Truce of Tukkayid the research base started working on new Mech designs. Well sure enough they made one. In fact, it is the most advanced design I have ever seen. There is enough armor on that thing to withstand a lot of punishment from ANY Mech in existence! But it gets even better! These new weapons we have found were all made for this Mech! We've decided to name it the _Titan_ sir, because it is the most powerful Mech in existence!"

"More powerful than an _Atlas_ or a _Daishi_?"

"Sir! The _Titan_ weighs two hundred tons! The armor is so thick it could take a Gauss Cannon round and still be standing! It is the most powerful Mech in existence!"

The Colonel, as well as everyone else in the bridge, stood still in shock. A two hundred ton Mech was a weapon that could turn the tables of war. A Mech such as that could destroy whole armies! It would be invincible! No military force could destroy it!

Colonel Shaston walked out of the bridge and made his way down to one of the DropShips. The one that had been sealed and encrypted. He walked to the door and it opened to allow him in and the moment he walked in lights flickered on all over the bay. And in the center of the bay, surrounded by a gantry that was covering it, was a Mech unlike any he had ever seen. It looked like a _Daishi_ except that it was too big. On its shoulders were two _Mad Cat/Catapult_ style LRM launchers. Its arms ended in _Daishi_ style guns but they were much bigger and the legs looked liked they belonged on an _Atlas_, if they were smaller.

As James walked towards it he heard machinery starting up all over the bay. He saw an elevator activate to carry him to the top. He got in and prayed that this Mech could help his mercenaries to survive the coming battle. As he powered up the Mech he noticed something, the weapons list. He strolled down it and gasped.

· Four Ultra Heavy Lasers

· Two Pulse Particle Projection Cannons

· Three Gauss Cannons

· Two Long Range Missile Packs

· Eight Machine Guns

· Two Gauss Rifles

· Seven Small Pulse Lasers

· Two Short Range Missile Packs

· Three Autocannons

It was an assortment of weaponry that could only be described as holy. The guns on this Mech could demolish anything in their path. As James fully powered his Mech up he heard a voice speaking to him.

      "Welcome to the X-1 Super Mech prototype. This Mech was built for the express purpose of the destruction of the Inner Sphere. However, the rules of engagement have changed slightly and this Mech may not be fit to change the balance of power in the Inner Sphere. Your entrance into this base has certainly changed that Colonel Shaston."

      With that James looked across the bay and saw a beautiful woman sitting in the control room and talking to him on the intercom.

      "May I ask whom I am talking to?"

      "You may Colonel. I am Star Colonel Kathryn Matheson of the Alpha Research Base."

      "Any relation to the Star Corporal Matheson that surrendered the base to us?"

      "That was me Colonel. Your man in the _Mad Cat_ misheard my rank. Besides you of all people should know about the ranks of the Clans. There is no Star Corporal."

      "Why did you attack with Light Mechs? Why not use this?"

      He heard her sigh. "The reason Colonel is that nobody could get in the bay. One of my research techs got drunk and locked the bays with a randomizing code that kept changing. Then the moron, who was the only one who knew the primer for the code, walked outside at night. In the day Colonel Aries' Reach is quite Earth-like. At night however, it is minus ten degrees Celsius. Needless to say he walked outside in his underwear and froze to death quickly. When you attacked I rallied all the forces I had. Unfortunately all I had were obsolete tanks, two _stravag_ _Osiris_ Mechs and a star of _Ullers_. The _Ullers_were in the process of being stripped down to be test beds when you came so they had near no weapons. If you had come a few days later we would not be having this conversation."

      "But we are. Look, Star Colonel, would you object to us joining forces? My mercenaries are severely depleted in terms of manpower and resources and your forces would complement ours quite well. What do you say?"

      Star Colonel Matheson looked down at the display in front of her and then back up at him.

      "I say you get that Mech combat ready Colonel. The Draconis Combine just landed eight _Overlords_ two hundred kilometers south of us. They seem to be filled with assault Mechs."

[Author's Note: I hope that explains the Inner Sphere tech used by the Clan. Look, all the weapons I have created are allowed to be in existence! The SuperMech is as well! It is a Clan-funded research base! I hope this chapter cleared up some problems.]


End file.
